KUHNER: As history proves, Boston always rises again

BOSTON — Monday was Patriots’ Day in Boston — a local holiday commemorating the city’s unique role in the American Revolution. The Boston Marathon was being held. The Red Sox were playing early. People were outside enjoying the sun and festivities.

And then horror struck.

Two bombs went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Bodies and limbs lay scattered. Mothers searched for their children, spouses for loved ones and others desperately sought relatives or friends. It was pandemonium.

I had gone grocery shopping. I was at home with my wife and children, putting away the food when I got a phone call. A friend of mine, Rusty Humphries, who has a talk radio show, was on the line.

“Did you hear?” he asked.

“Hear what?”

“Bombs are going off in Boston,” he said. “Your city is under attack. Can you come on my show to talk about it?”

“Let me get some more information,” I said. “This can’t be happening.”

Sadly, however, it was. Right there on the TV screen, I saw Boylston Street soaked in blood. Copley Square was filled with smoke and debris. First responders were descending upon the scene, helping the innocent victims.

It was clear: My city had become the target of a terrorist attack. I told my wife that I had to rush back to the radio station. This was a major story, and I needed to be there. I needed to report the story as best I could, to share the city’s pain, and to offer an outlet for them to vent their anger as well as to grieve. My wife urged me to be careful.

On my drive into the heart of the city, police cars and ambulances were everywhere. Sirens were wailing. Cars were evacuating the city, as if fleeing a natural disaster. Yet there was no panic only steely resolve.

Boston is a tough city. It is full of ethnic neighborhoods and gritty blue-collar workers. It is the cradle of the American Revolution, the place that helped launch and create our great republic.

We have been dealt a great blow. Our city has been attacked. But we will rise again stronger and more united and resilient than ever. We’re Bostonians. That’s what we do. That’s who we are.

• Jeffrey T. Kuhner is a Boston radio show host on WRKO-AM and a frequent contributor to The Washington Times.